“I’m sure.”
Dan was at a loss. Ryan’s grand theft auto career had begun when he was twelve or thirteen. Counselors claimed cars represented freedom to him, and he’d never outgrown the obsession. While these days he bought his own rather than resorting to theft, an eight-hour road trip out of state meant something big weighed on his mind. It might or might not have anything to do with the Endeavour and the money. Managing both was an enormous undertaking, but Ryan had shown no signs of it being too much for him. If anything, it gave him purpose.
Worry wriggled around in Dan’s gut. He didn’t give a damn about the money, although he’d admit he was fond of the ranch. He did care where the money came from, however. But Ryan had sworn it was legitimate and Dan believed him.
“How did the open house go?” Ryan asked.
“Pretty much perfect.”
“I take it by your big, goofy smile that you finally made headway with Jazz?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I heard her bike leaving just now.”
Dan changed the subject. “You missed the barbecue. Our moms were asking about you.”
Ryan had boarded with the Tuckers when he worked as a dude wrangler at the Bar-No Sweetheart Ranch in Sweetheart for a few summers. Now that he and Dallas both lived in Grand, Dan’s mother treated them like her own. Ryan loved the attention.
“I’ll be around for the rest of the weekend, so I’ll see them tomorrow. Are they cooking breakfast, by any chance?” His eyes lit with hope.
“They were planning to set up a breakfast buffet in the common room, so it seems you’re in luck.”
Ryan was about to comment when the side door opening and closing interrupted whatever he had to say. Overhead lights blazed. Dan and Ryan turned their heads.
Dallas stared back.
He wore a navy-colored med school grad T-shirt that had seen better days, baggy beige cargo shorts, and flip-flops. Black, shaggy curls looked even more disheveled than normal. He looked like he should be backpacking around South America and camping on beaches rather than manning a free medical clinic in rural Montana. And yet looks could be deceiving. When Dallas set a goal for himself, he let nothing stand in his way.
He was a lot like Ryan in that regard. The difference between them, however, was that Dallas had always wanted to be a doctor whereas Ryan didn’t yet know what he wanted to be when he grew up—other than a cowboy, of course.
“Well, if this is where the new weekly briefings are being held…” The room plunged back into shadow. Seconds later, the rear passenger door opened and then Dallas was hanging over the backs of their seats, his face in between them. “I’m not sure why we have to conduct them in the dark, but okay.”
“I’m not sure why we bothered building the common area,” Dan replied. He half-turned so he could see Dallas better. The leather creaked. “Ryan’s cars are more comfortable, and as an added bonus, they’re mobile.”
“You can take the man out of the mobile, but you can’t take the mobile out of the man,” Dallas agreed, nodding.
“What does that even mean?” Ryan asked.
Dallas shrugged. “You missed the excitement. Dan gave an interview toEntertainment News Nightlyand it got picked up by national news stations.”
Dan turned to stare. “It did not.”
“Indeed it did, my friend. Just a few seconds worth of coverage, mind you—enough for the entire country to learn that sadly, our hottest new sheriff billionaire is already off the market. Snatched up by some local Daisy Mae. Maybe not in those exact words.”
Dan really, really hoped not. He doubted very much if Jazz would find it funny.
“Who’s Daisy Mae?” Ryan asked.
“An anatomically incorrect cartoon character who dresses in skimpy shorts that are going to cause her any number of health issues. Married to Li’l Abner?”
Ryan shot Dallas a withering glance. “I meant, who’s the local Daisy Mae?”
“Oh. That would be Jazz.”
“Get out of town.” Ryan’s head swiveled toward Dan. “I was only kidding about you making headway with her. I didn’t get the impression she’s all that into you.”
She was into him, all right. He tried not to think of the soft little sounds she’d made in his ear while she proved it. He’d savor that memory later.